Theatre Department News

After 20 years, A Christmas Carol still hitting the right notes

The old adage is, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” For the Monmouth College Theatre and the Buchanan Center for the Arts, it’s not only not “broke” but seems to get better with age. The current partnership, which will present Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Nov. 21-23 at the College’s Wells Theatre, features a cast of 95 actors, carolers, and dancers plus a crew of 20 Monmouth College students. Veterans of past productions include Gary Mustain as Scrooge and Jeffrey Cervantez as Marley, with many joining the company for the first time, including this year’s Tiny Tim, Owen Walters-Kremer.
“It’ great fun to watch younger sisters and brothers come to rehearsals and say they want to be in the show next time,” notes Director and MC Theatre Professor Bill Wallace. “The support from the area is phenomenal, and it is always a pleasure to watch our students interact with community members of all ages”, Wallace adds.
Is this version better than before? “I hope so”, says Wallace. “We try to improve each time, and Prof. Doug Rankin, our Set Designer, creates new and interesting staging each time around. Our Costumer, Ms. Par Andresen, scours the countryside for costumes and makes a lot of our clothing, and student designers such as Nick Sargis for Lights and Courtney Jonsson for Props add their skill and expertise to the process. Our Stage Managers, Merissa Lewiston and Rachel Whitlock effectively manage our creative chaos, and they are ably assisted by Assistant Stage Managers Bill Armonda and Natalie Stortoni, who will make sure all of the scene changes happen on time and the performers make it onstage on time as well.”
Tickets for A Christmas Carol may be purchased by contacting the Buchanan Center for the Arts at 309.734.3033 or at bca@frontiernet.net. Performances at the Wells Theatre, located at 9th and Broadway on the Monmouth College campus, are at 7:30 pm on November 21, 22, and 23 with a 2 pm matinee performance on November 23. The show runs about 75 minutes.
Please join the Buchanan Center for the Arts and the Monmouth College Theatre for this holiday tradition!